U.S. patent number 10,839,239 [Application Number 16/911,583] was granted by the patent office on 2020-11-17 for electronic device and method for identifying falsification of biometric information.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. The grantee listed for this patent is Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Seyoung Jang, Yunjang Jin, Suna Kim, Bongjae Rhee, Kemsuk Seo, Kyunghoon Song.
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United States Patent |
10,839,239 |
Kim , et al. |
November 17, 2020 |
Electronic device and method for identifying falsification of
biometric information
Abstract
Provided are an electronic device and operation method thereof.
The electronic device may include: a display having a biometric
sensing region; a biometric sensor disposed in the biometric
sensing region; and a processor. The processor may be configured
to: operate a first sub-region of the biometric sensing region
according to a first display attribute and operate a second
sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to a second
display attribute; while the first sub-region is operated according
to the first display attribute and the second sub-region is
operated according to the second display attribute, obtain, through
the biometric sensor, a signal corresponding to an external object,
wherein the signal is generated at least partially based on light
that is emitted from the first sub-region or the second sub-region
and reflected by the external object; perform authentication on the
external object if the signal satisfies a specified condition; and
prevent authentication on the external object if the signal does
not satisfy the specified condition.
Inventors: |
Kim; Suna (Gyeonggi-do,
KR), Seo; Kemsuk (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Song;
Kyunghoon (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Rhee; Bongjae
(Gyeonggi-do, KR), Jin; Yunjang (Gyeonggi-do,
KR), Jang; Seyoung (Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. |
Gyeonggi-do |
N/A |
KR |
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Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
(Gyeonggi-do, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005186789 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/911,583 |
Filed: |
June 25, 2020 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20200327348 A1 |
Oct 15, 2020 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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15924813 |
Mar 19, 2018 |
10713512 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Mar 20, 2017 [KR] |
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10-2017-0034966 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K
9/0004 (20130101); G06K 9/00899 (20130101); G06K
9/00013 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06K
9/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;382/124,254
;705/14.23,14.25,14.53,14.64,14.66 ;340/5.52,5.82,500,540,541,573.1
;345/158 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2006-215975 |
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Aug 2006 |
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JP |
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2008-022973 |
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Feb 2008 |
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JP |
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10-2016-0117862 |
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Oct 2016 |
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KR |
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2016/205832 |
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Dec 2016 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Baker; Charlotte M
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cha & Reiter, LLC.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 15/924,813 filed on Mar. 19, 2018 which claims the benefit
under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a) of a Korean patent application filed
on Mar. 20, 2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and
assigned Serial No. 10-2017-0034966, the entire disclosure of which
is hereby incorporated by reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electronic device comprising: a display; a biometric sensor
disposed under the display; and a processor configured to: in
response to a user input, control a first portion of the display to
output light corresponding to a first color and a second portion of
the display to output light corresponding to a second color; while
the first portion of the display is outputting light corresponding
to the first color and the second portion of the display is
outputting light corresponding to the second color, obtain, via the
biometric sensor, biometric information of an external object based
on light reflected by the external object out of light that is
outputted from the first portion and the second portion of the
display; and perform authentication on the external object based on
the biometric information.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor
comprises a fingerprint sensor.
3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is
configured to, while the first portion and the second portion of
the display are outputting light of the first color and light of
the second color, control a remaining portion of the display not to
output any light.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first portion is
adjacent to the second portion.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each of the first
portion and the second portion has a circular shape.
6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the second portion
surrounds an outer periphery of the first portion.
7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is
configured to: based on light reflected by the external object out
of light of the first color that is outputted from the first
portion of the display and light of the second color that is
outputted from the second portion of the display, determine that
the external object corresponds to a finger having
three-dimensional features, and perform authentication on the
external object.
8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is
configured to: determine whether the external object is a
three-dimensional object or a two-dimensional object based on the
biometric information.
9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is
configured to: when the biometric information satisfies a specified
condition, determine that the external object is the
three-dimensional object, and perform authentication on the
external object, and when the biometric information does not
satisfy the specified condition, determine that the external object
is the two-dimensional object, and stop authentication on the
external object.
10. A method of operation for an electronic device comprising a
display, and a biometric sensor disposed under the display, the
method comprising: in response to a user input, controlling a first
portion of the display to output light corresponding to a first
color and a second portion of the display to output light
corresponding to a second color; while the first portion of the
display is outputting light corresponding to the first color and
the second portion of the display is outputting light corresponding
to the second color, obtaining, via the biometric sensor, biometric
information of an external object based on light reflected by the
external object out of light that is outputted from the first
portion and the second portion of the display; and performing
authentication on the external object based on the biometric
information.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric sensor comprises
a fingerprint sensor.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising, while the first
portion and the second portion of the display are outputting light
of the first color and light of the second color, controlling a
remaining portion of the display not to output any light.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first portion is adjacent
to the second portion.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first portion and the
second portion have a circular shape.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second portion surrounds an
outer periphery of the first portion.
16. The method of claim 10, further comprising, based on light
reflected by the external object out of light of the first color
that is outputted from the first portion of the display and light
of the second color that is outputted from the second portion of
the display, determining that the external object corresponds to a
finger having three-dimensional features, and performing
authentication on the external object.
17. The method of claim 10, wherein the performing authentication
on the external object comprises: determining whether the external
object is a three-dimensional object or a two-dimensional object
based on the biometric information.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the performing authentication
on the external object comprises: when the biometric information
satisfies a specified condition, determining that the external
object is the three-dimensional object, and performing
authentication on the external object, and when the biometric
information does not satisfy the specified condition, determining
that the external object is the two-dimensional object, and
stopping authentication on the external object.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a
program for controlling operations of an electronic device
comprising a display, and a biometric sensor disposed under the
display, wherein the program is configured to cause the electronic
device to: in response to a user input, control a first portion of
the display to output light corresponding to a first color and a
second portion of the display to output light corresponding to a
second color; while the first portion of the display is outputting
light corresponding to the first color and the second portion of
the display is outputting light corresponding to the second color,
obtain, via the biometric sensor, biometric information of an
external object based on light reflected by the external object out
of light that is outputted from the first portion and the second
portion of the display; and perform authentication on the external
object based on the biometric information.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim
19, wherein the first portion and the second portion have a
circular shape, and the second portion surrounds an outer periphery
of the first portion.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
Various embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to
an electronic device and method for identifying forged biometric
information, and relate to a display control method for the
electronic device and a biometric sensor.
BACKGROUND
Thanks to advances in information and communication technology and
semiconductor technology, mobile electronic devices such as
smartphones have become a necessity of life. These device can
provide various services when users installs various applications
in their smartphones.
In recent years, for purposes of authentication and the like,
electronic devices have been able to recognize biometric
information of users. For example, such an electronic device may
include a biometric sensor to recognize user's biometric
information. The biometric sensor may be, for example, a
fingerprint sensor, a heart rate monitor (HRM) sensor, or an iris
sensor.
User authentication through the biometric sensor (e.g. the
fingerprint recognition module) is more secure compared with
authentication using passwords or pattern inputs. In addition, the
process of providing biometric information is simpler for the user
than the process of inputting a password.
However, user authentication through biometric sensors may be very
vulnerable to forged biometric information. As user authentication
through biometric means (e.g. fingerprint sensors) has become
increasingly popular in recent years, security attacks using
counterfeit biometric information (e.g. forged fingerprints) have
become an important security concern. For example, optical
fingerprint sensors are known to be vulnerable to security attacks
because they cannot readily identify fake fingerprints printed on
paper.
SUMMARY
Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above
mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the
advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present
disclosure is to provide an electronic device and operation method
thereof that can enhance the security of the electronic device by
accurately identifying falsified biometric information (e.g.
counterfeit fingerprint). This may be done by controlling the light
source of the biometric sensor.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided an electronic device. The electronic device may include: a
display having a biometric sensing region; a biometric sensor
disposed in the biometric sensing region; and a processor, wherein
the processor is configured to: operate a first sub-region of the
biometric sensing region according to a first display attribute and
operate a second sub-region of the biometric sensing region
according to a second display attribute; while the first sub-region
is operated according to the first display attribute and the second
sub-region is operated according to the second display attribute,
obtain, through the biometric sensor, a signal corresponding to an
external object, wherein the signal is generated at least partially
based on light that is emitted from the first sub-region or the
second sub-region and reflected by the external object; perform
authentication on the external object if the signal satisfies a
specified condition; and prevent authentication on the external
object if the signal does not satisfy the specified condition.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there
is provided a method of operation for an electronic device
including a biometric sensor and a display having a biometric
sensing region. The method may include: operating a first
sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to a first
display attribute and operating a second sub-region of the
biometric sensing region according to a second display attribute;
while the first sub-region is operated according to the first
display attribute and the second sub-region is operated according
to the second display attribute, obtaining, through the biometric
sensor, a signal corresponding to an external object, wherein the
signal is generated at least partially based on light that is
emitted from the first sub-region or the second sub-region and
reflected by the external object; performing authentication on the
external object if the signal satisfies a specified condition; and
preventing authentication on the external object if the signal does
not satisfy the specified condition.
As a feature of the present disclosure, security is enhanced
because disclosed embodiments may accurately identify falsified
biometric information (e.g. counterfeit fingerprint) by controlling
the light source of the biometric sensor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of
the attendant aspects thereof will be readily obtained as the same
becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed
description when considered in connection with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment including electronic
devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of program modules according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are front views of an electronic device
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including
a biometric sensor mounted on a screen area of the display,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device
according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a portion of the display as a
light source for an optical biometric sensor, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are schematic cross-sectional views of an
electronic device illustrating a scheme for identifying falsified
biometric information, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 10 is optical profiles showing the results of a biometric
information recognition experiment using an actual fingerprint and
a 2D counterfeit fingerprint.
FIG. 11 shows a result of comparison between optical profiles
obtained by a biometric sensor for an actual fingerprint and a 2D
counterfeit fingerprint.
FIG. 12A, FIG. 12B and FIG. 12C are diagrams illustrating various
biometric sensors according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are illustrations showing 2-dimensional fast
Fourier transforms of signals sensed by a biometric sensor
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, FIG. 14C, FIG. 14D, FIG. 14E and FIG. 14F
illustrate various light output schemes of the display for
biometric information recognition according to various
embodiments.
FIG. 15 is a graph of optical profiles obtained by the biometric
sensor when the display is used as a light source and when the
display is partitioned into stripes as shown in FIG. 14B.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operations of an electronic
device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating more detailed operations of an
electronic device according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying
drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of
various embodiments of the present disclosure as claimed by the
claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details
to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as
merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art
will recognize that various changes and modifications of the
various embodiments described herein can be made without departing
from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition,
descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted
for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description and claims
are not limited to the dictionary meanings, but are merely used by
the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the
present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those
skilled in the art that the following description of various
embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration
purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present
disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the"
may also refer to the plural, unless otherwise specified. Thus, for
example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to
one or more of such surfaces.
The expressions such as "include" and "may include" may denote the
presence of the disclosed functions, operations, and constituent
elements and do not limit one or more additional functions,
operations, and constituent elements. Terms such as "include"
and/or "have" may be construed to denote a certain characteristic,
operation, constituent element, component or a combination thereof,
but may not be construed to exclude the existence of or a
possibility of addition of one or more other characteristics,
operations, constituent elements, components or combinations
thereof.
Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the expression "and/or"
includes any and all combinations of the associated listed words.
For example, the expression "A and/or B" may include A, may include
B, or may include both A and B.
In the present disclosure, expressions including ordinal numbers,
such as "first" and "second," etc., may refer to various elements.
However, such elements are not limited by the above expressions.
For example, the above expressions do not limit the sequence and/or
importance of the elements. The above expressions are used merely
for the purpose of distinguishing an element from the other
elements. For example, a first user device and a second user device
indicate different user devices although both of them are user
devices. A first element could be termed a second element, and
similarly, a second element could be also termed a first element
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In the case where a component is referred to as being "connected
to" or "accessed be" another component, it should be understood
that the component may not be directly connected to or accessed by
the other component, but also there may exist another component
between them. Meanwhile, in the case where a component is referred
to as being "directly connected to" or "directly accessed by"
another component, it should be understood that there is no third
component therebetween. The terms used in the present disclosure
are only used to describe specific various embodiments, and are not
intended to limit the present disclosure.
Electronic devices according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure may be smartphones, tablet personal computers (PCs),
mobile phones, video telephones, e-book readers, desktop PCs,
laptop PCs, netbook computers, workstations, servers, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs),
Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2) Audio Layer 3 (MP3)
players, mobile medical devices, cameras, wearable devices (e.g.,
head-mounted-devices (HMDs), such as electronic glasses),
electronic apparel, electronic bracelets, electronic necklaces,
electronic appcessories, electronic tattoos, smart watches, and the
like.
According to another embodiment, the electronic devices may be home
appliances, such as televisions (TVs), digital versatile disc (DVD)
players, audios, refrigerators, air conditioners, cleaners, ovens,
microwave ovens, washing machines, air cleaners, set-top boxes,
home automation control panels, security control panels, TV boxes
(e.g., Samsung HomeSync.TM., Apple TV.TM., or Google TV.TM.), game
consoles (e.g., Xbox.TM. or PlayStation.TM., electronic
dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders, electronic picture
frames, or the like.
According to another embodiment, the electronic devices may be
medical devices (e.g., various portable medical measurement
devices, such as blood glucose monitoring devices, heartbeat
measuring devices, blood pressure measuring devices, body
temperature measuring devices, etc., magnetic resonance angiography
(MRA) devices, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices, computed
tomography (CT) devices, medical scanners, and ultrasonic devices),
navigation devices, global positioning system (GPS) receivers,
event data recorders (EDRs), flight data recorders (FDRs), vehicle
infotainment devices, electronic equipment for vessels (e.g.,
navigation systems and gyrocompasses), avionics, security devices,
head units for vehicles, industrial or home robots, automatic
teller's machines (ATMs), points of sales devices (POSs), or IoT
(Internet of Things) devices (e.g., light bulbs, sensors, electric
or gas meters, sprinkler devices, fire alarms, thermostats, street
lamps, toasters, exercise equipment, hot water tanks, heaters,
boilers, and the like). It may be readily apparent to those skilled
in the art that the electronic device according to the present
disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned devices.
FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment including electronic
devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 101 may include a bus
110, a processor 120, a memory 130, an input/output interface 150,
a display 160 and a communication interface 170, and other similar
and/or suitable components.
The bus 110 may be a circuit which interconnects the
above-described elements and delivers a communication (e.g., a
control message) between the above-described elements.
The processor 120 may receive commands from the above-described
other elements (e.g., the memory 130, input/output interface 150,
the display 160, the communication interface 170, etc.) through the
bus 110, may interpret the received commands, and may execute
calculation or data processing according to the interpreted
commands. The processor 120 may include a microprocessor or any
suitable type of processing circuitry, such as one or more
general-purpose processors (e.g., ARM-based processors), a Digital
Signal Processor (DSP), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), an
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a
Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Graphical Processing Unit
(GPU), a video card controller, etc. In addition, it would be
recognized that when a general purpose computer accesses code for
implementing the processing shown herein, the execution of the code
transforms the general purpose computer into a special purpose
computer for executing the processing shown herein. Any of the
functions and steps provided in the Figures may be implemented in
hardware, software or a combination of both and may be performed in
whole or in part within the programmed instructions of a computer.
No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of
35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly
recited using the phrase "means for." In addition, an artisan
understands and appreciates that a "processor" or "microprocessor"
may be hardware in the claimed disclosure. Under the broadest
reasonable interpretation, the appended claims are statutory
subject matter in compliance with 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 101.
The memory 130 may store commands or data received from the
processor 120 or other elements (e.g., the input/output interface
150, a display 160 and a communication interface 170, etc.) or
generated by the processor 120 or the other elements. The memory
130 may include programming modules, such as a kernel 131,
middleware 132, an Application Programming Interface (API) 133, an
application 134, and the like. Each of the above-described
programming modules may be implemented in software, firmware,
hardware, or a combination of two or more thereof.
The kernel 131 may control or manage system resources (e.g., the
bus 110, the processor 120, the memory 130, and/or other hardware
and software resources) used to execute operations or functions
implemented by other programming modules (e.g., the middleware 132,
the API 133, and the application 134). Also, the kernel 131 may
provide an interface capable of accessing and controlling or
managing the individual elements of the electronic device 101 by
using the middleware 132, the API 133, or the application 134.
The middleware 132 may serve to go between the API 133 or the
application 134 and the kernel 131 in such a manner that the API
133 or the application 134 communicates with the kernel 131 and
exchanges data therewith. Also, in relation to work requests
received from one or more applications 134 and/or the middleware
132, for example, may perform load balancing of the work requests
by using a method of assigning a priority, in which system
resources (e.g., the bus 110, the processor 120, the memory 130,
etc.) of the electronic device 101 can be used, to at least one of
the one or more applications 134.
The API 133 is an interface through which the application 134 is
capable of controlling a function provided by the kernel 131 or the
middleware 132, and may include, for example, at least one
interface or function for file control, window control, image
processing, character control, or the like.
The input/output interface 150, for example, may receive a command
or data as input from a user, and may deliver the received command
or data to the processor 120 or the memory 130 through the bus 110.
The display module 160 may display a video, an image, data, or the
like to the user.
The communication interface module 170 may connect communication
between another electronic device 102 and the electronic device
101. The communication interface module 170 may support a
predetermined short-range communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi,
BlueTooth (BT), and Near Field Communication (NFC)), or
predetermined network 162 (e.g., the Internet, a Local Area Network
(LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a telecommunication network, a
cellular network, a satellite network, a Plain Old Telephone
Service (POTS), or the like). Each of the electronic devices 102
and 104 may be a device which is identical (e.g., of an identical
type) to or different (e.g., of a different type) from the
electronic device 101. Further, the communication interface module
170 may connect communication between a server 164 and the
electronic device 101 via the network 162.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 201
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The hardware shown in FIG. 2 may be, for example, the electronic
device 101 illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device may include one or more
processors 210, a communication module 220, a Subscriber
Identification Module (SIM) card 224, a memory 230, a sensor module
240, a input device 250, a display module 260, an interface 270, an
audio module 280, a camera module 291, a power management module
295, a battery 296, an indicator 297, a motor 298 and any other
similar and/or suitable components.
The Application Processor (AP) 210 (e.g., the processor 120) may
include one or more Application Processors (APs), or one or more
Communication Processors (CPs). The processor 210 may be, for
example, the processor 120 illustrated in FIG. 1. The AP 210 is
illustrated as being included in the processor 210 in FIG. 2, but
may be included in different Integrated Circuit (IC) packages,
respectively. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
the AP 210 may be included in one IC package.
The AP 210 may execute an Operating System (OS) or an application
program, and thereby may control multiple hardware or software
elements connected to the AP 210 and may perform processing of and
arithmetic operations on various data including multimedia data.
The AP 210 may be implemented by, for example, a System on Chip
(SoC). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP
210 may further include a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) (not
illustrated).
The AP 210 may manage a data line and may convert a communication
protocol in the case of communication between the electronic device
(e.g., the electronic device 101) including the hardware and
different electronic devices connected to the electronic device
through the network. The AP 210 may be implemented by, for example,
a SoC. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP
210 may perform at least some of multimedia control functions. The
AP 210, for example, may distinguish and authenticate a terminal in
a communication network by using a subscriber identification module
(e.g., the SIM card 224). Also, the AP 210 may provide the user
with services, such as a voice telephony call, a video telephony
call, a text message, packet data, and the like.
Further, the AP 210 may control the transmission and reception of
data by the communication module 220. In FIG. 2, the elements such
as the AP 210, the power management module 295, the memory 230, and
the like are illustrated as elements separate from the AP 210.
However, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the
AP 210 may include at least some (e.g., the CP) of the
above-described elements.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP 210
may load, to a volatile memory, a command or data received from at
least one of a non-volatile memory and other elements connected to
each of the AP 210, and may process the loaded command or data.
Also, the AP 210 may store, in a non-volatile memory, data received
from or generated by at least one of the other elements.
The SIM card 224 may be a card implementing a subscriber
identification module, and may be inserted into a slot formed in a
particular portion of the electronic device 101. The SIM card 224
may include unique identification information (e.g., Integrated
Circuit Card IDentifier (ICCID)) or subscriber information (e.g.,
International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)).
The memory 230 may include an internal memory 232 and an external
memory 234. The memory 230 may be, for example, the memory 130
illustrated in FIG. 1. The internal memory 232 may include, for
example, at least one of a volatile memory (e.g., a Dynamic RAM
(DRAM), a Static RAM (SRAM), a Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM),
etc.), and a non-volatile memory (e.g., a One Time Programmable ROM
(OTPROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable and Programmable
ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM
(EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a Not AND (NAND) flash memory, a
Not OR (NOR) flash memory, etc.). According to an embodiment of the
present disclosure, the internal memory 232 may be in the form of a
Solid State Drive (SSD). The external memory 234 may further
include a flash drive, for example, a Compact Flash (CF), a Secure
Digital (SD), a Micro-Secure Digital (Micro-SD), a Mini-Secure
Digital (Mini-SD), an extreme Digital (xD), a memory stick, or the
like.
The communication module 220 may include a cellular module 221, a
wireless (WiFi) communication module 223 or a Radio Frequency (RF)
module 229. The communication module 220 may be, for example, the
communication interface 170 illustrated in FIG. 1. The
communication module 220 may include, for example, a Wi-Fi part
223, a BT part 225, a GPS part 227, or a NFC part 228. For example,
the wireless communication module 220 may provide a wireless
communication function by using a radio frequency. Additionally or
alternatively, the wireless communication module 220 may include a
network interface (e.g., a LAN card), a modulator/demodulator
(modem), or the like for connecting the hardware to a network
(e.g., the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, a telecommunication network, a
cellular network, a satellite network, a POTS, or the like).
The RF module 229 may be used for transmission and reception of
data, for example, transmission and reception of RF signals or
called electronic signals. Although not illustrated, the RF unit
229 may include, for example, a transceiver, a Power Amplifier
Module (PAM), a frequency filter, a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), or
the like. Also, the RF module 229 may further include a component
for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves in a free
space in a wireless communication, for example, a conductor, a
conductive wire, or the like.
The sensor module 240 may include, for example, at least one of a
gesture sensor 240A, a gyro sensor 240B, an barometer sensor 240C,
a magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor 240E, a grip sensor
240F, a proximity sensor 240G, a Red, Green and Blue (RGB) sensor
240H, a biometric sensor 240I, a temperature/humidity sensor 240J,
an illuminance sensor 240K, and a Ultra Violet (UV) sensor 240M.
The sensor module 240 may measure a physical quantity or may sense
an operating state of the electronic device 101, and may convert
the measured or sensed information to an electrical signal.
Additionally/alternatively, the sensor module 240 may include, for
example, an E-nose sensor (not illustrated), an ElectroMyoGraphy
(EMG) sensor (not illustrated), an ElectroEncephaloGram (EEG)
sensor (not illustrated), an ElectroCardioGram (ECG) sensor (not
illustrated), a fingerprint sensor (not illustrated), and the like.
Additionally or alternatively, the sensor module 240 may include,
for example, an E-nose sensor (not illustrated), an EMG sensor (not
illustrated), an EEG sensor (not illustrated), an ECG sensor (not
illustrated), a fingerprint sensor, and the like. The sensor module
240 may further include a control circuit (not illustrated) for
controlling one or more sensors included therein.
The input device 250 may include a touch panel 252, a pen sensor
254 (e.g., a digital pen sensor), keys 256, and an ultrasonic input
unit 258. The input device 250 may be, for example, the
input/output interface 150 illustrated in FIG. 1. The touch panel
252 may recognize a touch input in at least one of, for example, a
capacitive scheme, a resistive scheme, an infrared scheme, and an
acoustic wave scheme. Also, the touch panel 252 may further include
a controller (not illustrated). In the capacitive type, the touch
panel 252 is capable of recognizing proximity as well as a direct
touch. The touch panel 252 may further include a tactile layer (not
illustrated). In this event, the touch panel 252 may provide a
tactile response to the user.
The pen sensor 254 (e.g., a digital pen sensor), for example, may
be implemented by using a method identical or similar to a method
of receiving a touch input from the user, or by using a separate
sheet for recognition. For example, a key pad or a touch key may be
used as the keys 256. The ultrasonic input unit 258 enables the
terminal to sense a sound wave by using a microphone (e.g., a
microphone 288) of the terminal through a pen generating an
ultrasonic signal, and to identify data. The ultrasonic input unit
258 is capable of wireless recognition. According to an embodiment
of the present disclosure, the hardware may receive a user input
from an external device (e.g., a network, a computer, or a server),
which is connected to the communication module 220, through the
communication module 220.
The display module 260 may include a panel 262, a hologram 264, or
projector 266. The display module 260 may be, for example, the
display module 160 illustrated in FIG. 1. The panel 262 may be, for
example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and an Active Matrix
Organic Light Emitting Diode (AM-OLED) display, and the like. The
panel 262 may be implemented so as to be, for example, flexible,
transparent, or wearable. The panel 262 may include the touch panel
252 and one module. The hologram 264 may display a
three-dimensional image in the air by using interference of light.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display
module 260 may further include a control circuit for controlling
the panel 262 or the hologram 264.
The interface 270 may include, for example, a High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) 272, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) 274,
an optical interface 276, and a D-subminiature (D-sub) 278.
Additionally or alternatively, the interface 270 may include, for
example, SD/Multi-Media Card (MMC) (not illustrated) or Infrared
Data Association (IrDA) (not illustrated).
The audio module 280 may bidirectionally convert between a voice
and an electrical signal. The audio module 280 may convert voice
information, which is input to or output from the audio module 280,
through, for example, a speaker 282, a receiver 284, an earphone
286, the microphone 288 or the like.
The camera module 291 may capture an image and a moving image.
According to an embodiment, the camera module 291 may include one
or more image sensors (e.g., a front lens or a back lens), an Image
Signal Processor (ISP) (not illustrated), and a flash LED (not
illustrated).
The power management module 295 may manage power of the hardware.
Although not illustrated, the power management module 295 may
include, for example, a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC),
a charger Integrated Circuit (IC), or a battery fuel gauge.
The PMIC may be mounted to, for example, an IC or a SoC
semiconductor. Charging methods may be classified into a wired
charging method and a wireless charging method. The charger IC may
charge a battery, and may prevent an overvoltage or an overcurrent
from a charger to the battery. According to an embodiment of the
present disclosure, the charger IC may include a charger IC for at
least one of the wired charging method and the wireless charging
method. Examples of the wireless charging method may include a
magnetic resonance method, a magnetic induction method, an
electromagnetic method, and the like. Additional circuits (e.g., a
coil loop, a resonance circuit, a rectifier, etc.) for wireless
charging may be added in order to perform the wireless
charging.
The battery fuel gauge may measure, for example, a residual
quantity of the battery 296, or a voltage, a current or a
temperature during the charging. The battery 296 may supply power
by generating electricity, and may be, for example, a rechargeable
battery.
The indicator 297 may indicate particular states of the hardware or
a part (e.g., the AP 211) of the hardware, for example, a booting
state, a message state, a charging state and the like. The motor
298 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical vibration.
The processor 210 may control the sensor module 240.
Although not illustrated, the hardware may include a processing
unit (e.g., a GPU) for supporting a module TV. The processing unit
for supporting a module TV may process media data according to
standards such as, for example, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting
(DMB), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), media flow, and the like.
Each of the above-described elements of the hardware according to
an embodiment of the present disclosure may include one or more
components, and the name of the relevant element may change
depending on the type of electronic device. The hardware according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one
of the above-described elements. Some of the above-described
elements may be omitted from the hardware, or the hardware may
further include additional elements. Also, some of the elements of
the hardware according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
may be combined into one entity, which may perform functions
identical to those of the relevant elements before the
combination.
The term "module" used in the present disclosure may refer to, for
example, a unit including one or more combinations of hardware,
software, and firmware. The "module" may be interchangeable with a
term, such as "unit," "logic," "logical block," "component,"
"circuit," or the like. The "module" may be implemented
mechanically or electronically. For example, the "module" according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one
of an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chip, a
Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and a programmable-logic
device for performing certain operations which have been known or
are to be developed in the future.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one or more programming
modules 300 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
The programming module 300 may be included (or stored) in the
electronic device 101 (e.g., the memory 130) or may be included (or
stored) in the electronic device 201 (e.g., the memory 230)
illustrated in FIG. 1. At least a part of the programming module
300 may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination of two or more thereof. The programming module 300 may
be implemented in hardware (e.g., the hardware), and may include an
OS controlling resources related to an electronic device (e.g., the
electronic device 101) and/or various applications (e.g., an
application 370) executed in the OS. For example, the OS may be
Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Tizen, Bada, and the like.
Referring to FIG. 3, the programming module 300 may include a
kernel 310, a middleware 330, an API 360, and/or the application
370.
The kernel 310 (e.g., the kernel 131) may include a system resource
manager 311 and/or a device driver 312. The system resource manager
311 may include, for example, a process manager (not illustrated),
a memory manager (not illustrated), and a file system manager (not
illustrated). The system resource manager 311 may perform the
control, allocation, recovery, and/or the like of system resources.
The device driver 312 may include, for example, a display driver
(not illustrated), a camera driver (not illustrated), a Bluetooth
driver (not illustrated), a shared memory driver (not illustrated),
a USB driver (not illustrated), a keypad driver (not illustrated),
a Wi-Fi driver (not illustrated), and/or an audio driver (not
illustrated). Also, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure, the device driver 312 may include an Inter-Process
Communication (IPC) driver (not illustrated).
The middleware 330 may include multiple modules previously
implemented so as to provide a function used in common by the
applications 370. Also, the middleware 330 may provide a function
to the applications 370 through the API 360 in order to enable the
applications 370 to efficiently use limited system resources within
the electronic device. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the
middleware 330 (e.g., the middleware 132) may include at least one
of a runtime library 335, an application manager 341, a window
manager 342, a multimedia manager 343, a resource manager 344, a
power manager 345, a database manager 346, a package manager 347, a
connectivity manager 348, a notification manager 349, a location
manager 350, a graphic manager 351, a security manager 352, and any
other suitable and/or similar manager.
The runtime library 335 may include, for example, a library module
used by a complier, in order to add a new function by using a
programming language during the execution of the application 370.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the runtime
library 335 may perform functions which are related to input and
output, the management of a memory, an arithmetic function, and/or
the like.
The application manager 341 may manage, for example, a life cycle
of at least one of the applications 370. The window manager 342 may
manage GUI resources used on the screen. The multimedia manager 343
may detect a format used to reproduce various media files and may
encode or decode a media file through a codec appropriate for the
relevant format. The resource manager 344 may manage resources,
such as a source code, a memory, a storage space, and/or the like
of at least one of the applications 370.
The power manager 345 may operate together with a Basic
Input/Output System (BIOS), may manage a battery or power, and may
provide power information and the like used for an operation. The
database manager 346 may manage a database in such a manner as to
enable the generation, search and/or change of the database to be
used by at least one of the applications 370. The package manager
347 may manage the installation and/or update of an application
distributed in the form of a package file.
The connectivity manager 348 may manage a wireless connectivity
such as, for example, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The notification manager
349 may display or report, to the user, an event such as an arrival
message, an appointment, a proximity alarm, and the like in such a
manner as not to disturb the user. The location manager 350 may
manage location information of the electronic device. The graphic
manager 351 may manage a graphic effect, which is to be provided to
the user, and/or a user interface related to the graphic effect.
The security manager 352 may provide various security functions
used for system security, user authentication, and the like.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the
electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) has a telephone
function, the middleware 330 may further include a telephony
manager (not illustrated) for managing a voice telephony call
function and/or a video telephony call function of the electronic
device.
The middleware 330 may generate and use a new middleware module
through various functional combinations of the above-described
internal element modules. The middleware 330 may provide modules
specialized according to types of OSs in order to provide
differentiated functions. Also, the middleware 330 may dynamically
delete some of the existing elements, or may add new elements.
Accordingly, the middleware 330 may omit some of the elements
described in the various embodiments of the present disclosure, may
further include other elements, or may replace the some of the
elements with elements, each of which performs a similar function
and has a different name.
The API 360 (e.g., the API 133) is a set of API programming
functions, and may be provided with a different configuration
according to an OS. In the case of Android or iOS, for example, one
API set may be provided to each platform. In the case of Tizen, for
example, two or more API sets may be provided to each platform.
The applications 370 (e.g., the applications 134) may include, for
example, a preloaded application and/or a third party application.
The applications 370 (e.g., the applications 134) may include, for
example, a home application 371, a dialer application 372, a Short
Message Service (SMS)/Multimedia Message Service (MMS) application
373, an Instant Message (IM) application 374, a browser application
375, a camera application 376, an alarm application 377, a contact
application 378, a voice dial application 379, an electronic mail
(e-mail) application 380, a calendar application 381, a media
player application 382, an album application 383, a clock
application 384, and any other suitable and/or similar
application.
At least a part of the programming module 300 may be implemented by
instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage
medium. When the instructions are executed by one or more
processors (e.g., the one or more processors 210), the one or more
processors may perform functions corresponding to the instructions.
The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be, for
example, the memory 230. At least a part of the programming module
300 may be implemented (e.g., executed) by, for example, the one or
more processors 210. At least a part of the programming module 300
may include, for example, a module, a program, a routine, a set of
instructions, and/or a process for performing one or more
functions.
Names of the elements of the programming module (e.g., the
programming module 300) according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure may change depending on the type of OS. The programming
module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may
include one or more of the above-described elements. Alternatively,
some of the above-described elements may be omitted from the
programming module. Alternatively, the programming module may
further include additional elements. The operations performed by
the programming module or other elements according to an embodiment
of the present disclosure may be processed in a sequential method,
a parallel method, a repetitive method, or a heuristic method.
Also, some of the operations may be omitted, or other operations
may be added to the operations.
According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the
electronic device may include: a display having a biometric sensing
region; a biometric sensor disposed in the biometric sensing
region; and at least one processor, wherein the processor is
configured to: operate a first sub-region of the biometric sensing
region according to a first display attribute and operate a second
sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to a second
display attribute; while the first sub-region is operated according
to the first display attribute and the second sub-region is
operated according to the second display attribute, obtain, through
the biometric sensor, a signal corresponding to an external object,
wherein the signal is generated at least partially based on light
that is emitted from the first sub-region or the second sub-region
and reflected by the external object; perform authentication on the
external object if the signal satisfies a specified condition; and
prevent authentication on the external object if the signal does
not satisfy the specified condition. Operating the first sub-region
of the biometric sensing region according to the first display
attribute and operating the second sub-region of the biometric
sensing region according to the second display attribute may be
performed when the external object is in contact with or in
proximity to the biometric sensing region. In operating the first
sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to the first
display attribute and operating the second sub-region of the
biometric sensing region according to the second display attribute,
the processor may be further configured to adjust brightness,
color, or grayscale of the display or a voltage applied to the
display. In operating the first sub-region of the biometric sensing
region according to the first display attribute and operating the
second sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to the
second display attribute, the processor may be further configured
to activate at least one pixel included in the first sub-region and
deactivate at least one pixel included in the second sub-region.
The biometric sensor may be configured to include a first biometric
sensing region corresponding to the first sub-region and a second
biometric sensing region corresponding to the second sub-region,
and the processor may be further configured to determine whether
the signal satisfies the specified condition at least partially
based on a first signal generated by the first biometric sensing
region or a second signal generated by the second biometric sensing
region. The processor may be further configured to: determine that
the specified condition is satisfied if a portion of the signal
corresponds to a designated frequency, and determine that the
specified condition is not satisfied if the portion of the signal
does not correspond to the designated frequency. The processor may
be further configured to: select a first portion of the signal
corresponding to a first pixel included in the second sub-region of
the display and select a second portion of the signal corresponding
to a second pixel included in the second sub-region; assign a first
weight to the first portion and assign a second weight to the
second portion; and determine whether the specified condition is
satisfied at least partially based on the first portion weighted
with the first weight and the second portion weighted with the
second weight. The processor may be further configured to: operate
the first sub-region and the second sub-region according to a same
display attribute; while the first sub-region and the second
sub-region are operated according to the same display attribute,
obtain, through the biometric sensor, a second signal corresponding
to the external object, wherein the second signal is generated at
least partially based on light from the first sub-region or the
second sub-region and reflected by the external object; and perform
the authentication at least partially based on the second signal.
The processor may be further configured to periodically change the
first display attribute or the second display attribute. Operating
the first sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to
the first display attribute and operating the second sub-region of
the biometric sensing region according to the second display
attribute may be performed when the electronic device is in a
specified state or an application running on the electronic device
required a specified security. The processor may be further
configured to: set at least a portion of a border of the biometric
sensing region as the second sub-region; and set at least a portion
of a remaining region of the biometric sensing region as the first
sub-region.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are front views of an electronic device according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to FIG. 4A, in one embodiment, the electronic device
400 (e.g. electronic device 101) includes a front display 410 (e.g.
display 160), and the biometric sensor 411 (e.g. biometric sensor
240I) may be positioned to overlap at least a portion of the screen
area of the display 410. In one embodiment, an operation button
(e.g. home button) 420 may be disposed at one portion (e.g. lower
end portion) of the screen area of the display 410, and a camera
430 and at least one sensor 440 may be disposed at the other
portion (e.g. upper end portion) of the screen area of the display
410. In one embodiment, the biometric sensor 411 may be disposed in
the active area or black matrix area of the display 410.
The fact that the biometric sensor 411 is positioned so as to
overlap at least a portion of the screen area of the display 410
may mean that the biometric sensor 411 is disposed inside the
portion of the screen area of the display 410, that the biometric
sensor 411 is disposed above the display 410 so as to overlap the
portion of the screen area of the display 410, or that the
biometric sensor 411 is disposed under the display 410 so as to
overlap the portion of the screen area of the display 410. When the
biometric sensor 411 is disposed above or under the display 410,
the biometric sensor 411 may be directly attached to the
corresponding surface (upper surface or lower surface) of the
display 410 via an adhesive layer (not shown). Thus, when the
biometric sensor 411 is disposed above or under the display 410, at
least one other component may be disposed between the biometric
sensor 411 and the display 410. In one embodiment, the biometric
sensor 411 may be disposed under the display 410. For example, the
biometric sensor 411 may acquire biometric information of an object
(e.g. user's finger) when that object is placed on the area of the
display 410 corresponding to the biometric sensor 411.
With reference to FIG. 4B, in another embodiment, the electronic
device 400 may include a display 410 whose screen area is expanded
to encompass the whole front face of the electronic device 400, and
the biometric sensor 411 may be positioned to overlap a portion of
the screen area of the display 410. In one embodiment, the
biometric sensor 411 may be disposed under the screen area. The
positioning of the biometric sensor 411 will be described in more
detail later with reference to FIG. 5. For example, the physical
key (e.g. operation button 420) may be removed from the front face
of the electronic device 400, and the larger screen area of the
display 410 may encompass the region that housed the physical key
in FIG. 4A (e.g. the lower region of the front face in which the
home button is positioned). Similarly, the camera 430 and the at
least one sensor 440 may be disposed to overlap a portion of the
screen area of the display 410, such that the larger screen area of
the display 410 also occupies the region that housed the camera 430
and the at least one sensor 440 in FIG. 4A. In one embodiment, in
place of the physical key 420, an operation button using a touch
sensor or a pressure sensor may be disposed to overlap a region of
the screen area corresponding to the original location of the
physical key 420. Accordingly, the screen area of the display 410
shown in FIG. 4B may be larger than the area occupied by the screen
area of the display 410 shown in FIG. 4A.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including
a biometric sensor mounted on the screen area of the display,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the cross-sectional
structure of the electronic device (e.g. electronic device 400) may
include a glass 510, an adhesive layer 520, a touch sensor 530
(e.g. touch panel 252), which, as described below, may be used as a
biometric sensor, a display 540 (e.g. display 160), and a PCB
590.
In one embodiment, to sense user's biometric information, the
electronic device 400 may include a biometric sensor 530, 544 or
580 (e.g. biometric sensor 411) mounted at a position corresponding
to a region 501 of the display 540. The region 501 of the display
540 may be the same or similar region as the region in which the
biometric sensor 411 is formed in the screen area of the display
410 in FIG. 4A or 4B. The biometric sensor 530, 544 or 580 may be
positioned to overlap one or more partial regions of the display
540 (e.g. one region or plural regions), or may be positioned to
overlap the whole screen area (e.g. active area) of the display
540.
The biometric sensor 530 may be located above the display 540, the
biometric sensor 544 may be embedded in a region of the display
540, and the biometric sensor 580 may be located under the display
540. The biometric sensor 530, 544 or 580 may be variously
implemented using optical image sensors, ultrasonic
transmission/reception modules, electrostatic
transmission/reception electrode patterns, etc.
In one embodiment, the biometric sensor 530 may be positioned
between the adhesive layer 520 and the display 540. Although not
shown, the biometric sensor 530 may also be positioned between the
glass 510 and the adhesive layer 520. The biometric sensor 530 may
be implemented using an electrostatic transmission/reception
electrode pattern, and may be formed as a transparent electrode to
increase the transmittance of light outputted from the display 540.
The biometric sensor 530 may also be implemented using an
ultrasonic transmission/reception module.
In another embodiment, the biometric sensor 544 may be formed in
the active area or black matrix area of the display 540. For
example, the display 540 may include at least one of the red pixel
541, the green pixel 542, and the blue pixel 543, and the biometric
sensor 544 may be implemented as a photodiode (PD) or
phototransistor located at the same layer as the pixels. In one
embodiment, the biometric sensor 544 may be an optical fingerprint
sensor that uses light output from the display 540 as tis light
source. For example, the biometric sensor 544 may obtain user's
fingerprint information 502 by sensing the light that is outputted
from the display 540 and then is reflected by the user's finger. In
a different embodiment, the optical biometric sensor 544 may obtain
user's fingerprint information 502 by using light outputted from
its own independent light source, i.e. in this embodiment, the
optical biometric sensor 544 does not use the light outputted from
the display 540. For example, the optical biometric sensor 544 may
include an infrared light emitting diode (LED), not shown in FIG.
5. The infrared LED may be located, for example, below the display
540 or located at a portion of the border area of the display
540.
In one embodiment, the biometric sensor 580 may be located below
the display 540. For example, the biometric sensor 580 and sealing
structures 551 and 552 for securing a mounting space of the
biometric sensor 580 may be disposed under the display 540. In one
embodiment, the biometric sensor 580 may be an optical fingerprint
sensor that uses light output from the display 540 as its light
source. In a different embodiment, the biometric sensor 580 may
obtain user's fingerprint information 502 using its own independent
light source. The sealing structures 551 and 552 may be configured
to protect the biometric sensor 580 from, for example, external
impact. In one embodiment, the biometric sensor 580 may be located
within an internal space formed by the sealing structures 551 and
552 (e.g. the space between the sealing structures 511 and 552).
For example, the biometric sensor 580 may be formed on the base
substrate 590 and be positioned between the display 540 and the
substrate 590. Between the biometric sensor 580 and the display
540, elastic bodies 571 and 572 (e.g. plastic, sponge or rubber)
may be formed for shock absorption or for the prevention of foreign
matter inflow.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the electronic device
600 (e.g. electronic device 101) may include at least one processor
(e.g. first processor 610 or second processor 620), a memory 630
(e.g. memory 130), a display 640 (e.g. display 540), and at least
one sensor 650. The at least one processor 610 or 620 may be the
same as or similar to, for example, the processor 120.
The first processor 610 (e.g. main processor) may control the
overall operation of the electronic device 600.
For example, when the electronic device 600 is in its sleep state,
the second processor 620 (e.g. low-power processor, or sensor HUB)
may process sensing information obtained via the at least one
sensor 650 or inputs from the user. The second processor 620 may
perform this processing without waking up the first processor 610.
That is, the second processor 620 may control the at least one
sensor 650 or the display 640 independently of the first processor
610.
The memory 630 may include a normal section for storing user
applications or the like, and a secured section for storing
security sensitive information such as fingerprint information.
The display 640 may include a display panel 642 including a
plurality of pixels, and a display driver module 641 (e.g. display
driver IC, DDI) configured to control at least some of the pixels
included in the display panel 642 so as to display information.
The at least one sensor 650 may include, for example, a biometric
sensor 651 (e.g. biometric sensor 240I) for sensing the fingerprint
of a user on the display 640, and a touch sensor 652 (e.g. touch
panel 252) for detecting a user touch on the display 640 or a
proximity input near the display 640. The at least one sensor 650
may be identical or similar to the sensor module 240 and include an
optical fingerprint sensor. In one embodiment, the biometric sensor
651 may be an optical fingerprint sensor (e.g. image sensor) that
uses light output from the display 640 as a light source.
Alternatively, the biometric sensor 651 may be an ultrasonic
fingerprint sensor. In another embodiment, the biometric sensor 651
may be a capacitive fingerprint sensor.
In various embodiments, the at least one sensor 650 may drive a
plurality of pixels included in the display panel 642 via the
display driver module 641 in response to a user input. In one
embodiment, the least one sensor 650 may control the display panel
642 to obtain a user input or biometric information of the user.
For example, to acquire biometric information of the user, the
biometric sensor 651 may control the display panel 642 and use the
light emitted therefrom.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device
according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to FIG. 7, the electronic device 700 (e.g.
electronic device 101) may include at least one processor (e.g.
first processor 710 or second processor 720), a memory 730 (e.g.
memory 130), a display 740 (e.g. display 540), and at least one
sensor 750. The at least one processor 710 or 720 may be identical
or similar to, for example, the processor 120. The at least one
sensor 750 may include, for example, a biometric sensor 751 (e.g.
biometric sensor 240I) for sensing the fingerprint of a user on the
display 740, and a touch sensor 752 (e.g. touch panel 252) for
detecting a user touch on the display 740 or a proximity input near
the display 740.
In one embodiment, the electronic device 700 (e.g. electronic
device 101) may include a plurality of controllers, such as a first
controller 712, a second controller 722, a third controller 743, a
fourth controller 753, and a fifth controller 760. The controllers
may be included respectively in the corresponding modules
constituting the electronic device 700, such as the first processor
710, the second processor 720, the DDI 741 (e.g. display driver
module 641), and the biometric sensor 751.
In one embodiment, the electronic device 700 may control a specific
module by using the controller included in the module. For example,
the electronic device 700 may control the first processor 710 using
the first controller 712 and control the second processor 720 using
the second controller 722. The electronic device 700 may control
the DDI 741 using the third controller 743 and control the
biometric sensor 751 using the fourth controller 753.
In one embodiment, the electronic device 700 may designate one
controller as the main controller and control all the modules
thereof by controlling the remaining controllers through the
designated main controller, i.e. the electronic device 700 may use
the main controller to control the remaining controllers. For
example, the fifth controller 760 may be designated as the main
controller and the electronic device 700 may use the fifth
controller 760 to control the first controller 712, the second
controller 722, the third controller 743, and the fourth controller
753. The electronic device 700 may change the designation of the
main controller. For example, the electronic device 700 may change
the main controller from the fifth controller 760 to the first
controller 712 and use the first controller 712 to control the
remaining controllers (the second to fifth controllers 722, 743,
753 and 760).
Alternatively, the electronic device 700 may directly control the
modules thereof using a single controller. For example, the
electronic device 700 may use the first controller 712 included in
the first processor 710 to directly control the second processor
720, the memory 730, the display 740, and/or the at least one
sensor 750. In another embodiment, the electronic device 700 may
use one controller to directly control the display 740 and the at
least one sensor 750. For example, when the biometric sensor 751 is
an optical fingerprint sensor that uses the display 740 as its
light source, the electronic device 700 may use a single controller
to control the display 740 and the biometric sensor 751, so that it
may easily obtain fingerprint information of the user.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a portion of the display (e.g.
region 501 of the display 540 in FIG. 5) as a light source for an
optical biometric sensor, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
With reference to FIG. 8, the processor (e.g. first processor 610
or second processor 620) may control at least a portion of the
display (e.g. display 540) as a light source to output light and
drive the optical biometric sensor (e.g. biometric sensor 580) to
sense the biometric information generated using the light source.
For example, the processor 610 or 620 may set the first sub-region
810 to a first display attribute and set the second sub-region 820
to a second display attribute. That is, the processor 610 or 620
may control the first sub-region 810 of the display 540 to output
light corresponding to the first display attribute, and control the
second sub-region 820 of the display 540 to output light
corresponding to the second display attribute. The first display
attribute and the second display attribute may be different in
terms of color, brightness, intensity, etc.
In one embodiment, as part of setting the first display attribute
and the second display attribute, the processor 610 or 620 may
adjust the brightness, color, or grayscale of the display 540 and
at least one voltage applied to the display 540. In one embodiment,
the processor 610 or 620 may activate the pixels included in the
first sub-region 810 of the display 540 according to the first
display attribute, and may deactivate the pixels included in the
second sub-region 820 of the display 540 according to the second
display attribute. Deactivating a pixel may mean, for example, that
the brightness of the pixel is set to zero (0) or the pixel does
not emit light.
In one embodiment, the processor 610 or 620 may set the first
display attribute to a specific color (e.g. cyan) and set the
second display attribute to zero brightness. For example, the
processor 610 or 620 may control the first sub-region 810 of the
display 540 to emit cyan color light according to the first display
attribute, and control the pixels included in the second sub-region
820 of the display 540 to be deactivated according to the second
display attribute.
As described above, the processor 610 or 620 may control the
display 540 to deactivate at least some pixels in the biometric
sensing region 501. This operation may be used to identify forged
biometric information.
Next, a detailed description of a scheme for identifying falsified
biometric information is given. In the scheme, the display 540
serving as a light source of the optical biometric sensor 580 is
partially controlled.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic cross-sectional views of an
electronic device illustrating a scheme for identifying falsified
biometric information. The electronic device (e.g. electronic
device 600) shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B may be identical or similar to
the electronic device shown in FIG. 5. In FIGS. 9A and 9B, the same
or similar components or features as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by
the same reference numerals.
For ease of description, only operations or elements not previously
described will be described below. FIG. 9A depicts a case where an
actual fingerprint 901 of the user is inputted to the electronic
device 600. FIG. 9B depicts a case where a counterfeit fingerprint
903 (e.g. a photocopy of the user's actual fingerprint) is inputted
to the electronic device 600.
In FIG. 9A, the processor (e.g. first processor 610 or second
processor 620) may change attributes of at least some region of the
display 540. For example, among the biometric sensing region 501 of
the display 540, the processor 610 or 620 may set the first
sub-region 810 to a first display attribute and set the second
sub-region 820 a second display attribute which is different than
the first display attribute. The processor 610 or 620 may control
the first sub-region 810 to emit light corresponding to the first
display attribute and control the second sub-region 820 to emit
light corresponding to the second display attribute. The first
display attribute and the second display attribute may be different
in terms of color, brightness, intensity, etc.
In one embodiment, the processor 610 or 620 may control the display
540 to output light in a portion of the preset biometric sensing
region 501 as indicated by indicia 920, and not to output light in
a portion of the biometric sensing region 501 as indicated by
indicia 910. For example, the processor 610 or 620 may activate
pixels included in the region indicated by indicia 920 according to
the first display attribute, and may deactivate pixels included in
the region indicated by indicia 910 according to the second display
attribute. Deactivating a pixel may mean, for example, that the
brightness of the pixel is set to zero (0).
When the actual fingerprint 901 is brought into contact with the
glass 510, as the actual fingerprint 901 has ridges and valleys in
three dimensions (3D), the characteristics of light reflected by
portions of the surface of glass 510 coinciding with the ridges and
valleys of the fingerprint 901 may be different. For example, at
the portion where the ridge of the fingerprint 901 contacts the
glass 510, the refraction index of the ridge of the fingerprint 901
may be similar to that of the glass 510, so that a portion of the
light output from the display 540 may be absorbed by the finger. At
the portion where the valley of the fingerprint 901 contacts the
glass 510, as an air layer having a relatively low refractive index
exists between the valley of the fingerprint 901 and the surface of
the glass 510, a portion of the light output from the display 540
may be refracted and then reflected by the valley toward the
biometric sensor 580 as indicated by indicia 923.
On the other hand, 9B, when a 2D counterfeit fingerprint 903 is
brought into contact with the glass 510, the counterfeit
fingerprint 903 may be in contact with the glass 510 over the
entire biometric sensing region 501 (first sub-region 810 and
second sub-region 820). Since there is no air layer between the
glass 510 and the counterfeit fingerprint 903, unlike when valleys
of the actual fingerprint 901 is placed on the glass 510, some of
the light output from the display 540 may be not refracted and may
be absorbed by or transmitted into the counterfeit fingerprint 903
as indicated by indicia 925. Hence, when the 2D counterfeit
fingerprint 903 is brought into contact with the glass 510 as shown
in FIG. 9B, the amount of light incident on the biometric sensor
580 disposed in the second sub-region 820 may be different compared
with the case of FIG. 9A where the actual fingerprint 901 is
brought into contact with the glass 510.
In various embodiments, the processor 610 or 620 of the electronic
device 600 can distinguish whether the external object 901 or 903
in contact with the glass 510 is the actual fingerprint 901 or the
counterfeit fingerprint 903 by controlling the display 540 so that
the first sub-region 810 and the second sub-region 820 emit lights
with different properties and analyzing the characteristics of the
light sensed at the biometric sensor 580 disposed in the second
sub-region 820.
FIG. 10 is optical profiles showing the results of a biometric
information recognition experiment using an actual fingerprint and
a 2D counterfeit fingerprint. FIG. 11 shows a result of comparison
between optical profiles obtained by a biometric sensor for an
actual fingerprint and a 2D counterfeit fingerprint.
With reference to FIG. 10, for the experiment, the first sub-region
810 of the display (e.g. display 540) was set to output cyan
colored light, and the pixels of the second sub-region 820 of the
display 540 were deactivated. The actual fingerprint 901 and the 2D
counterfeit fingerprint 903 were placed on the glass corresponding
to the first sub-region 810 and the second sub-region 820, and the
light profiles obtained from the biometric sensor 580 disposed in
the second sub-region 820 were analyzed. The above experimental
conditions are merely an example, and the first display attribute
and the second display attribute may be changed in various
ways.
It can be seen from FIG. 10 that when the second sub-region 820 is
operated according to the second display attribute (e.g. the pixels
in the second sub-region 820 were deactivated), the optical image
sensed from the biometric sensor 580 is relatively dark in the
second sub-region 820. Comparing the cases of the actual
fingerprint 901 and the 2D counterfeit fingerprint 903, it can be
seen that the light profiles differ in at least the second
sub-region 820. For example, the second sub-region 820 is
relatively brighter when the actual fingerprint 901 is applied.
This difference can be perceived more clearly if the optical image
is converted into a light profile along one direction (e.g.
horizontal direction) passing through the center of the second
sub-region 820 as indicated by indicia 1005 or 1007. For example,
when the actual fingerprint 901 is used, a peak in intensity can be
detected in the central region as indicated by indicia 1001.
However, when the 2D counterfeit fingerprint 903 is used, the peak
is not present in the central region as indicated by indicia 1003.
Thus, in various embodiments, the processor 610 or 620 of the
electronic device 600 can determine whether the external object 901
or 903 is the actual fingerprint 901 by controlling the display 540
so that the first sub-region 810 and the second sub-region 820 emit
light with different properties. The processor 610 or 620 can then
check whether the light sensed by the biometric sensor 580 includes
a peak in intensity as shown in FIG. 11.
However, if attributes of a preset region (e.g. second sub-region
820 of the biometric sensing region 501) are adjusted as disclosed
above, i.e. if pixels in the second sub-region 820 are deactivated,
failure to detect biometric information may occur when the
processor 610 or 620 does not obtain sufficient biometric
information from the regions that are illuminated. For example,
illuminating the first sub-region 810 alone may not be sufficient
to obtain necessary biometric information. To avoid this problem,
in various embodiments, the electronic device 600 may arrange the
second sub-region 820 in a dummy pixel part located in the border
portion of the biometric sensing region 501. For example, the
optical biometric sensor 580 may be located at the border portion
of the biometric sensing region 501. In one embodiment, the
electronic device 600 may drive the optical biometric sensor 580 at
least two times to allow the biometric sensor 580 to capture plural
images (e.g. plural fingerprint images). In doing so, during one
out of the at least two times, the electronic device 600 may adjust
the light outputted from the second sub-region 820 (e.g. deactivate
the pixels in the second sub-region 820) to determine whether the
external object 901 or 903 is a falsified fingerprint. For example,
during the first time of fingerprint image capture, the processor
610 or 620 may drive the display 540 so that the first sub-region
810 and the second sub-region 820 have the same attributes, so that
the biometric sensor 580 acquires a first image corresponding to
the external object 901 or 903. During the second time of
fingerprint image capture, the processor 610 or 620 may drive the
display 540 while deactivating the second sub-region 820, so that
the biometric sensor 580 acquires a second image corresponding to
the external object 901 or 903. Determination of whether the
external object 901 or 903 is a forged fingerprint may be done
using the second image. Alternatively, the second sub-region 820
may be deactivated during the first time of fingerprint image
capture.
FIGS. 12A to 12C are diagrams illustrating various biometric
sensors according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
With reference to FIGS. 12A to 12C, in various embodiments,
determination of whether the external object 901 or 903 is a forged
fingerprint may be done by altering the properties of the second
sub-region 1220 (e.g. second sub-region 820) as described above in
relation to the experiment of FIG. 10. For example, when operating
the display 540 to output light for biometric information
recognition, the processor 610 or 620 may be configured to control
the display 540 so that the second sub-region 1220 has different
attributes from those of the first sub-region 1210 (e.g. first
sub-region 810) and analyze the signals sensed by the biometric
sensor 580 corresponding to two or more pixels in the second
sub-region 1220. As shown in FIG. 12A, the processor 610 or 620 may
analyze a signal obtained from the biometric sensor 580
corresponding to two different pixels 1231 located in the second
sub-region 1220. As shown in FIG. 12B, the processor 610 or 620 may
analyze a signal obtained from the biometric sensor 580
corresponding to nine pixels 1233 located in the second sub-region
1220. As shown in FIG. 12C, the processor 610 or 620 may analyze a
signal obtained from the biometric sensor 580 corresponding to
twenty-five pixels 1235 located in the second sub-region 1220.
In one embodiment, the processor 610 or 620 may perform a weighted
sum operation on the signal obtained from the biometric sensor 580
corresponding to two or more pixels. For example, the processor 610
or 620 may assign a relatively high weight to a first signal
corresponding to a first pixel located at the central portion of
the second sub-region 1220, and assign a relatively low weight to a
second signal corresponding to a second pixel located at the border
portion of the second sub-region 1220. After summing the weighted
signals, the processor 610 or 620 may determine whether the result
of the weighted sum exceeds a preset threshold. If the result
exceeds the threshold, the processor 610 or 620 may determine that
the external object 901 or 903 is the actual fingerprint 901
because exceeding the threshold indicates that a peak in intensity,
as shown in FIG. 10, is present in the second sub-region 1220. If
the result is below the threshold, the processor 610 or 620 may
determine that the external object 901 or 903 is the counterfeit
fingerprint 903 because that indicates that the peak is not present
in the second sub-region 1220.
FIGS. 13A and 13B are illustrations showing 2-dimensional fast
Fourier transforms of signals sensed by a biometric sensor
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B, as explained above, in
operating the display 540 to output light for biometric information
recognition, the processor (e.g. first processor 610 or second
processor 620) may control the display 540 so that the second
sub-region 820 has different attributes from those of the first
sub-region 810. The processor may also apply 2D FFT (2-dimensional
fast Fourier transform) to the signals sensed by the biometric
sensor 580, when the biometric sensor 580 corresponds to two or
more pixels included in the second sub-region 820. The processor
may then determine whether the external object 901 or 903 is
falsified by analyzing the distribution of the high frequency
components of the signal.
According to an experiment, when the external object 901 or 903 was
the actual fingerprint 901, the result of 2D-FFT was as shown in
FIG. 13A. When the external object 901 or 903 was the counterfeit
fingerprint 903, the result of 2D-FFT was as shown in FIG. 13B. As
it can be seen from reference numeral 1310 of FIG. 13A and
reference numeral 1320 of FIG. 13B, the distributions of high
frequency components are different. Hence, in various embodiments,
the electronic device 600 may determine whether the external object
901 or 903 is falsified by examining the distribution of high
frequency components in the 2D FFT. For example, the processor 610
or 620 may determine the second display attribute for the second
sub-region 820 of the display 540 and retrieve from memory (e.g.
the memory 730) the distribution of high frequency components
corresponding to the second display attribute. The processor 610 or
620 may apply 2D-FFT to the signal obtained from the biometric
sensor 580 located in the second sub-region 820 to calculate the
distribution of high frequency components, and compare the
calculated distribution of high frequency components in the 2D-FFT
to the distribution retrieved from memory to determine whether they
are identical or similar. If the calculated distribution is
identical or similar to the distribution in memory, the processor
610 or 620 may determine that the external object 901 or 903 is the
actual fingerprint 901. Otherwise, the processor 610 or 620 may
determine that the external object 901 or 903 is the counterfeit
fingerprint 903.
In the above description with reference to FIG. 12 to FIG. 13,
since additional signal processing is required to determine whether
the external object 901 or 903 is falsified, user authentication
using biometric information may take longer. In various
embodiments, to solve this problem, the electronic device 600 may
apply an adaptive procedure based on the current state or the
security level of the application running in the electronic device.
For example, when the electronic device 600 is currently providing
a payment service which requires a relatively high security level,
the processor 610 or 620 may be configured to determine whether the
external object 901 or 903 is falsified, even if such determination
requires additional time and would cause delays in user
authentication. On the other hand, when the electronic device 600
receives an unlock request from the user, the processor 610 or 620
may regard this operation as corresponding to a relatively low
security level, and thus the operation of determining whether the
external object 901 or 903 is falsified may be skipped.
In one embodiment, in the electronic device 600, the fingerprint
recognition function may be carried out in a separate security zone
so-called trust zone (TZ), and only single-core and single-thread
processing may be allowed in the TZ depending on the
implementation. In various embodiments, when the above-described
procedure is applied to perform the fingerprint recognition
function, an additional authentication time delay may occur. Hence,
the electronic device 600 may assign the task of determining
whether the external object 901 or 903 is falsified to the main
processor 610 or 620 or the sensor module. For example, the
electronic device 600 may execute the algorithm for determining
whether the external object 901 or 903 is falsified through the
main processor 610 or 620 or the sensor module, and execute the
algorithm for matching and authentication of the external object
901 or 903 through the TZ in parallel.
FIGS. 14A to 14F illustrate various light output schemes of the
display for biometric information recognition according to various
embodiments.
With reference to FIGS. 14A to 14F, the processor (e.g. first
processor 610 or second processor 620) may control, for example,
the display 540 to output light for biometric information
recognition in various ways.
As shown in FIG. 14A, the processor 610 or 620 may control the
display 540 to output light in the biometric sensing region 501,
which is a predesignated region for sensing biometric information.
The processor 610 or 620 may set the middle region of the biometric
sensing region 501 as the second sub-region 1413 (e.g. the second
sub-region 820), and control the second sub-region 1413 to emit
light with an attribute different from that of the light emitted
from the first sub-region 1411 (e.g. the first sub-region 810). For
example, the processor 610 or 620 may deactivate the pixels
included in the second sub-region 1413 so that they do not output
light.
As shown in FIG. 14B, the processor 610 or 620 may divide the
biometric sensing region 501 into the striped first sub-region 1421
and second sub-region 1423, and control the first sub-region 1421
to output light according to the first display attribute and the
second sub-region 1423 to output light according to the second
display attribute different from the first display attribute.
As shown in FIG. 14C, the processor 610 or 620 may divide the
biometric sensing region 501 into the first sub-region 1431 and the
second sub-region 1433 in a matrix or chessboard pattern, and
control the display 540 so that the first sub-region 1431 outputs
light according to the first display attribute and the second
sub-region 1433 outputs light according to the second display
attribute different from the first display attribute.
As shown in FIG. 14D, the processor 610 or 620 may designate the
middle region of the biometric sensing region 501 as the second
sub-region 1443 so that the second sub-region 1443 has a specific
shape, such as a star shape, and adjust the second sub-region 1443
so that it outputs light with an attribute different from that of
the light output from the first sub-region 1441.
As shown in FIG. 14E, the processor 610 or 620 may designate the
middle region of the biometric sensing region 501 as the second
sub-region 1453 so that the second sub-region 1453 has a specific
shape, such as a cross shape, and adjust the second sub-region 1453
so that it outputs light with an attribute different from that of
the light output from the first sub-region 1451.
As shown in FIG. 14F, the processor 610 or 620 may designate the
second sub-region 1463 to have a donut shape with an opening in the
middle, and adjust the second sub-region 1463 so that it outputs
light with an attribute different from that of the light output
from the first sub-region 1461. In one embodiment, like the
remaining first sub-region 1461, the middle open portion of the
second sub-region 1463 may output light according to the first
display attribute different from the second display attribute of
the second sub-region 1463.
In one embodiment, the processor 610 or 620 may change the shape
and size of the first sub-region 1411, 1421, 1431, 1441, 1451 or
1461 and the second sub-region 1413, 1423, 1433, 1443, 1453 or 1463
according to at least one condition. For example, when the
biometric sensing region 501 partitioned into stripes as shown in
FIG. 14B, if the signal obtained from the biometric sensor 580 is
less than a preset reference signal, the processor 610 or 620 may
change the shape of the biometric sensing region 501 so that
obtained signal can exceed the preset reference signal. This may be
done by reducing the area of the second sub-region 1413, 1423,
1433, 1443, 1453 or 1463. In one embodiment, the processor 610 or
620 may determine the area of the external object 901 or 903 based
on the signal obtained through at least a portion of the biometric
sensing region 501, and may change the shape or size of the first
sub-region 1411, 1421, 1431, 1441, 1451 or 1461 or the second
sub-region 1413, 1423, 1433, 1443, 1453 or 1463 based on the
determined area. In one embodiment, the electronic device may
change the position or size of the second sub-region 1413, 1423,
1433, 1443, 1453 or 1463 based on the position of the external
object 901 or 903. In various embodiments, the electronic device
600 may be configured to store, in the memory, optical profile data
of the actual fingerprint 901 experimentally obtained using various
second sub-regions, such as the sub-region 1413, 1423, 1433, 1443,
1453 or 1463. The electronic device 600 may then determine whether
the external object 901 or 903 is falsified by comparing the
profile of the external object to the stored data.
FIG. 15 is a graph of optical profiles obtained by the biometric
sensor when the display is used as a light source and when the
display is partitioned into stripes as shown in FIG. 14B. In FIG.
15, reference numeral 1520 indicates an optical profile associated
with a 2D counterfeit fingerprint 903, and reference numeral 1510
indicates an optical profile associated an actual fingerprint
901.
It can be seen from FIG. 15 that when the biometric sensing region
501 is divided into stripes, the light profiles measured
respectively in the first sub-region 1421 and the second sub-region
1423 vary depending on whether the input fingerprint is
falsified.
According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an
operation method for the electronic device including a biometric
sensor and a display having a biometric sensing region may include:
operating a first sub-region of the biometric sensing region
according to a first display attribute and operating a second
sub-region of the biometric sensing region according to a second
display attribute; while the first sub-region is operated according
to the first display attribute and the second sub-region is
operated according to the second display attribute, obtaining,
through the biometric sensor, a signal corresponding to an external
object, wherein the signal is generated at least partially based on
light that is emitted from the first sub-region or the second
sub-region and reflected by the external object; performing
authentication on the external object if the signal satisfies a
specified condition; and preventing authentication on the external
object if the signal does not satisfy the specified condition.
Operating the first sub-region according to the first display
attribute and operating the second sub-region according to the
second display attribute may further include adjusting brightness,
color, or grayscale of the display or a voltage applied to the
display. Operating the first sub-region according to the first
display attribute and operating the second sub-region according to
the second display attribute may further include activating at
least one pixel included in the first sub-region and deactivating
at least one pixel included in the second sub-region. The signal
may include information obtained via a portion of the biometric
sensor corresponding to the second sub-region. The method may
further include determining that the specified condition is
satisfied if a portion of the signal corresponds to a designated
frequency and determining that the specified condition is not
satisfied if the portion of the signal does not correspond to the
designated frequency. The method may further include: selecting a
first portion of the signal corresponding to a first pixel included
in the second sub-region of the display and selecting a second
portion of the signal corresponding to a second pixel included in
the second sub-region; assigning a first weight to the first
portion and assign a second weight to the second portion; and
determining whether the specified condition is satisfied at least
partially based on the first portion weighted with the first weight
and the second portion weighted with the second weight. The method
may further include: controlling, during a first time of biometric
information capture, the display so that the first sub-region and
the second sub-region output light according to the first display
attribute; and controlling, during a second time of biometric
information capture, the display so that the first sub-region
outputs light according to the first display attribute and the
second sub-region outputs light according to the second display
attribute. The method may further include periodically changing the
first display attribute and the second display attribute.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operations of an electronic
device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
At operation 1610, the processor (e.g. first processor 610 or
second processor 620) of the electronic device (e.g. electronic
device 600) may adjust the display attributes of the display (e.g.
the display 540). For example, the processor 610 or 620 may sense
biometric information of the user via the biometric sensor (e.g.
the biometric sensor 580). The processor 610 or 620 may control at
least some of the display to output light and to serve as a light
source for the biometric sensor. The processor 610 or 620 may then
sense biometric information by driving the optical biometric sensor
580. For example, among the designated region of the display 540,
the processor 610 or 620 may set the first sub-region 810 to a
first display attribute and set at least a portion of the second
sub-region 820 different from the first sub-region 810 to a second
display attribute. That is, the processor 610 or 620 may control
the first sub-region 810 of the display 540 to output light
corresponding to the first display attribute, and control the
second sub-region 820 of the display 540 to output light
corresponding to the second display attribute. The first display
attribute and the second display attribute may be different in
terms of color, brightness, intensity, etc. In one embodiment, as
part of setting the first display attribute and the second display
attribute, the processor 610 or 620 may adjust the brightness,
color, or grayscale of the display 540 and at least one voltage
applied to the display 540. In one embodiment, the processor 610 or
620 may activate pixels included in the first sub-region 810 of the
display 540 according to the first display attribute, and may
deactivate pixels included in the second sub-region 820 of the
display 540 according to the second display attribute. Deactivating
a pixel may indicate, for example, that the brightness of the pixel
is set to zero (0).
At operation 1620, the processor 610 or 620 of the electronic
device 600 may obtain a signal corresponding to an external object
(e.g. the external object 901 or 903) via the biometric sensor 580.
For example, the processor 610 or 620 may receive, through the
biometric sensor 580, a signal corresponding to the light that is
output from at least some region of the display 540 and then
reflected by the external object 901 or 903. In one embodiment, the
processor 610 or 620 may set information obtained via the biometric
sensor 580 corresponding to the second sub-region 820 of the
display 540 as a reference signal.
At operation 1630, the processor 610 or 620 may check whether the
reference signal meets a preset condition and determine whether the
obtained biometric information is falsified based on the result of
the check. For example, if the reference signal satisfies a first
specified condition, the processor 610 or 620 may determine that
the obtained biometric information is not falsified. If the
reference signal satisfies a second specified condition, the
processor 610 or 620 may determine that the obtained biometric
information is falsified. The first specified condition and the
second specified condition may be set based on whether the
reference signal includes a high frequency component. For example,
the processor 610 or 620 may determine that the first specified
condition is satisfied when the reference signal includes a high
frequency component above a threshold, and may determine that the
second specified condition is satisfied when the reference signal
does not include the high frequency component above the
threshold.
In one embodiment, the processor 610 or 620 of the electronic
device 600 may perform a specified function according to whether
the obtained biometric information is falsified. For example, if
the obtained biometric information is falsified, the processor 610
or 620 may stop user authentication and output a user interface
notifying authentication failure through the display 540. If the
obtained biometric information is not falsified, the processor 610
or 620 may confirm the identity of the user. For example, if the
reference signal satisfies the first specified condition, the
processor 610 or 620 may be configured to authenticate the user. On
the other hand, if the reference signal satisfies the second
specified condition, the processor 610 or 620 may be configured to
prevent authentication.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating more detailed operations of an
electronic device according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
At operation 1710, the processor (e.g. first processor 610 or
second processor 620) of the electronic device (e.g. electronic
device 600) may detect input of biometric information. The
processor 610 or 620 may identify that it is in a state of sensing
biometric information by identifying a particular application that
is currently running or by identifying that a particular input has
been detected. For example, when a specific application (e.g.
application related to a financial service) is executed, the
processor 610 or 620 may provide an interface requesting user
authentication through the display (e.g. 540) and control the
biometric sensor 580 to detect input of biometric information. Or,
when a preset key is input or a preset touch is detected on the
screen area of the display 540 while the electronic device 600 is
in the locked or sleep state, the processor 610 or 620 may provide
a user interface requesting user authentication through the display
540 and control the biometric sensor 580 to detect input of
biometric information. In an embodiment, the above user interfaces
may be provided for a predetermined amount of time.
At operation 1720, the processor 610 or 620 may change the
attribute of at least some region of the display 540. For example,
the processor 610 or 620 may control the display 540 to output
light in a portion of the biometric sensing region 501 and not to
output light in another portion of the biometric sensing region
501. Here, controlling the display 540 not to output light in a
portion of the biometric sensing region 501 may enable the
processor 610 or 620 to identify whether the input biometric
information is falsified. For example, among the designated region
of the display 540, the processor 610 or 620 may set the first
sub-region 810 to a first display attribute and set at least a
portion of the second sub-region 820 different from the first
sub-region 810 to a second display attribute. That is, the
processor 610 or 620 may control the first sub-region 810 of the
display 540 to output light corresponding to the first display
attribute, and control the second sub-region 820 of the display 540
to output light corresponding to the second display attribute. The
first display attribute and the second display attribute may be
different in terms of color, brightness, intensity, etc. The
processor 610 or 620 may be configured to periodically change the
first display attribute and the second display attribute. For
example, the processor 610 or 620 may change the first display
attribute and the second display attribute after every time user
authentication is performed via the biometric sensor 580. That is,
the electronic device 600 may further enhance security by changing
the first display attribute and the second display attribute after
every time user authentication is performed through the biometric
sensor 580.
At operation 1730, the processor 610 or 620 may obtain biometric
information via the biometric sensor 580 based on the light
outputted from at least some region of the display 540. For
example, the processor 610 or 620 may receive, through the
biometric sensor 580, a signal corresponding to the light that is
outputted from at least some region of the display 540 and then
reflected by the external object 901 or 903. In one embodiment, the
processor 610 or 620 may set information obtained via the biometric
sensor 580 corresponding to the second sub-region 820 of the
display 540 as a reference signal.
At operation 1740, the processor 610 or 620 may determine whether
the signal obtained via the biometric sensor 580 satisfies a first
specified condition. For example, the processor 610 or 620 may
determine whether the reference signal acquired via the biometric
sensor 580 corresponding to the second sub-region 820 meets the
first specified condition. Specifically, the processor 610 or 620
may determine that the first specified condition is satisfied when
the reference signal includes a high frequency component above a
threshold, and may determine that the first specified condition is
not satisfied when the reference signal does not include the high
frequency component above the threshold. If the first specified
condition is satisfied, the procedure proceeds to operation 1750.
If the first specified condition is not satisfied, the procedure
proceeds to operation 1760.
At operation 1750, the processor 610 or 620 may authenticate the
external object 901 or 903. For example, the processor 610 or 620
may determine whether the signal obtained from the biometric
information matches the biometric information stored in memory, and
may perform user authentication based on the determination result.
In one embodiment, based on the result of user authentication, the
processor 610 or 620 may output a user interface indicating the
authentication result on the display 540.
At operation 1760, the processor 610 or 620 may stop authentication
on the external object 901 or 903. For example, the processor 610
or 620 may not determine whether the signal obtained from the
biometric information matches the biometric information stored in
memory. The processor 610 or 620 may also cause the display 540 to
output a user interface indicating authentication failure. Here,
the user interface indicating authentication failure may include,
for example, a notification that "the input biometric information
is falsified."
As described above, various embodiments of the present disclosure
can enhance security for electronic devices by accurately
identifying falsified biometric information (e.g. fake
fingerprint). Such identification may be done by controlling the
light source of the biometric sensor according to methods disclosed
herein.
A programming module according to embodiments of the present
disclosure may include one or more of the aforementioned components
or may further include other additional components, or some of the
aforementioned components may be omitted. Operations executed by a
module, a programming module, or other component elements according
to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed
sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner.
Further, some operations may be executed according to another order
or may be omitted, or other operations may be added.
Certain aspects of the above-described embodiments of the present
disclosure can be implemented in hardware, firmware or via the
execution of software or computer code that can be stored in a
recording medium such as a CD ROM, a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD),
a magnetic tape, a RAM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a
magneto-optical disk or computer code downloaded over a network
originally stored on a remote recording medium or a non-transitory
machine readable medium and to be stored on a local recording
medium, so that the methods described herein can be rendered via
such software that is stored on the recording medium using a
general purpose computer, or a special processor or in programmable
or dedicated hardware, such as an ASIC or FPGA. As would be
understood in the art, the computer, the processor, microprocessor
controller or the programmable hardware include memory components,
e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash, etc. that may store or receive software or
computer code that when accessed and executed by the computer,
processor or hardware implement the processing methods described
herein.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to
certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled
in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made
therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
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